


special

by soulofme



Series: sheith sentence prompts [25]
Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Gen, M/M, Post-War, Pre-Relationship, earth fic let's go, krolia looking out for keith, shiro doing his best
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-07-29
Updated: 2018-07-29
Packaged: 2019-06-18 07:10:11
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 975
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15480333
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/soulofme/pseuds/soulofme
Summary: “Krolia."“Yes?” she asks, her eyebrows furrowing.Shiro smiles, his eyes crinkling at the corners.“Thank you for giving me the chance to meet him.”





	special

**Author's Note:**

> sentence prompt: i don't want to screw this up.

Krolia doesn’t intend to bring it up.

Not at first, at least. Her relationship with Keith is still so _new_ , incredibly tender and young. She doesn’t want to soil it by overstepping any boundaries, even if she is his mother. Keith needs time, one thing she learned from those two achingly wonderful years they spent together.

And she, honestly, is content with giving him as much as she can.

But Krolia’s not _blind._ If there’s one thing she prides herself on, it’s her naturally observant nature. It’s that same nature that allows her to witness whatever is budding between Shiro and Keith.

The only things Krolia knows about Shiro is through Keith. And Keith, well, he never has a bad thing to say about him. Any negative aspects are accounted for, cushioned with an overwhelmingly long lists of positives that inevitably cancel that one, tiny flaw out. It’s beyond obvious that Keith cares for Shiro a lot, so much that he holds him up on a pedestal that he seemingly has earned the right to be on.

Krolia herself has a high opinion of Shiro. He’s a natural leader, always putting the well-being of others before himself. He’s attentive, with a painfully large heart, and, more than anything, he has taken care of _Keith_. Shiro has looked out for Keith when Krolia herself hadn’t been able to and she doesn’t know how to thank him for it.

She can tell that whatever between the two of them is something sweeter than friendship, something deeper and impossible to ignore. But she knows Keith won’t act on it. He’s precocious, always concerned with the little things and too afraid to look at the big picture. For all his passion and devil-may-care attitude, deep inside he’s terrified of failure.

Losing Shiro would crush him. Krolia knows that for an absolute, indisputable _fact_.

So, she approaches Shiro. Not to needle him for answers, but to feel him out for herself, without the pressure of a raging intergalactic war resting on their shoulders.

Since they saved the world, it has been press conference after press conference. Krolia manages to find Shiro alone on the hotel balcony, an hour after their latest interview. She spots his broad shoulders first,  slumped down as he stares down at the parking lot.

“It’s a nice night,” she says, announcing her presence and relishing in the way he jumps.

“Krolia,” he says, his eyes wide and blinking rapidly. He clears his throat. “You look…stunning.”

It's strange to not wear armor or wield a weapon, Krolia thinks. But there's something almost  _nice_ about a dress and nice shoes, about the glitz and glamour she's able to experience now that she's not killing her enemies for a living. 

“Flattery will get you everywhere,” she replies. It’s a cliché line, something ripped straight out a movie (she and Keith have been watching _many_ of those), and they both laugh at the ridiculousness of it all. “So, any reason why the man of the hour is out here alone?”

“Man of the hour?” Shiro echoes with a derisive snort. “I don’t think that’s quite accurate.”

“I don’t know about that,” Krolia says. “Everyone seems to love you.”

She jerks her chin towards the double-doors behind them, the only thing separating them from the crowd of curious reporters and Voltron-fanatics. It’s quite a sight, honestly, and she’d been more than surprised at the sheer amount of questions _she_ had gotten. It seems everyone is interested in Keith’s “badass alien mom” (thank you, Lance).

“Maybe,” Shiro murmurs, turning his back to the group. He cocks a brow at her. “What are _you_ doing out here, anyway?”

“Getting some air,” Krolia says, snickering. “I’m somewhat of an interest in there. I’d probably claw my eyes out if I had to answer another question about Galra-human relationships.”

Shiro shakes his head, his eyes sparkling with mirth. “That sounds rough.”

Krolia hums, resting her hands on the railing in front of her. The night is cool. There’s a gentle breeze that blows through the trees, ruffling the leaves in a soft, serene song.

“You and Keith,” she starts, gathering her thoughts. “You’ve been through a lot.”

“Yeah,” Shiro says, rubbing the back of his neck. “Fighting a war kinda does that to you.”

“Not just then,” Krolia corrects. “You took care of him before Voltron, didn’t you?”

“I wanted to help him,” Shiro answers. His bold honesty surprises Krolia, but she lets him continue. “No one wanted to give him a chance, but I wanted to prove I’d never give up on him.”

“I think you accomplished that,” Krolia says softly. “All those years, I wondered where he was and how he was doing. I hoped that he was safe. Seeing you two now, I’m so grateful that someone was there when neither his father or I could be.”

Shiro’s mouth opens, as if he’s about to protest, but Krolia quickly continues.

“I never intended to say anything about it. And I won’t, after this. But I just want to thank you for being so special to him. You make Keith happy, Shiro. That’s all I ever wanted for him.”

Shiro presses his lips together before he nods.

“He means a lot to me,” Shiro says. There’s no doubt in Krolia’s mind that he means it. “He always has. He always _will_.”

“Then,” Krolia says, stepping back. “I hope you find your happiness with him.”

“I don’t know,” Shiro mumbles. “I don’t want to screw this up.”

“You won’t,” Krolia tells him. “He cares a lot about you. I'm sure that'll never change.”

Shiro exhales a shuddery breath. Krolia watches him for a few moments.

“Krolia,” he says. “I…”

“Yes?” she asks, her eyebrows furrowing.

Shiro smiles, his eyes crinkling at the corners.

“Thank you for giving me the chance to meet him.”


End file.
